


Of Watercolors, Chief Counselors, and Captains of the Guard

by Inwiste, Zhie



Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Drawing, Fluff and Humor, Gen, History Lessons, Kissing, M/M, Painting, Rivendell | Imladris, Tutoring, Watercolors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26200744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inwiste/pseuds/Inwiste, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhie/pseuds/Zhie
Summary: When Arwen has trouble focusing on her history lessons, her tutor Andrether comes up with a creative solution to help her learn about her family tree. The action has unexpected consequences when Arwen wants to honor her favorite chief counselor and captain of the guard.
Relationships: Erestor/Glorfindel (Tolkien)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33
Collections: Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang 2020





	Of Watercolors, Chief Counselors, and Captains of the Guard

**Author's Note:**

> Link to the art by Zhie right here!
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/z-h-i-e/art/Rivendell-Paperdolls-854218006

It started out as a project, a way to learn about her family history that would not leave her falling asleep at the table. Her tutors tried their best and Arwen was sympathetic to their plight as she was a hard student to teach, though it was not her fault that the material was incredibly dull and there were far too many names and titles for her to keep track of. 

After several long nights ending in raised voices and frustration, she came into lessons the next day to find a stack of parchment sitting next to a quill and inkpot along with a full palette of paint. Andrether sat at the table, her long ash brown hair pulled back into a single braid that rested over her shoulder. A small smile replaced her usual expression of placid indifference. In addition to the supplies on the table, there was a small stack of books resting next to Andrether, scissors adjacent to the stack. Arwen took a cautious step forward, her eyes trained on the vivid paint on the palette. It had been ages since she had been able to paint. Her studies consumed a great deal of her time, even more so now that she was struggling in her history lessons. An opportunity to indulge in her favorite pastime was irresistible. 

“Good morning, Lady Arwen. How are you this morning? The weather is quite nice even though spring has not yet arrived,” Andrether said, glancing out the large paneled window at the blue sky dotted with clouds. 

The elleth was right. The weather was unusually pleasant and Arwen longed to roll around in the fields surrounding the small city and play in the grass. That was out of the question for her, though. Due to her young age, she was only allowed out in the grassy knolls with supervision, and both Erestor and Glorfindel, the elves who often supervised her and played with her outside were busy today. Not that it mattered. Her studies took priority and her father would not allow her to go play until they were finished. 

“I am well, thank you for asking. Lady Andrether, what are the supplies for? We are studying history today, are we not?” Arwen asked. She took a seat at the table across from Andrether, placing herself in front of the parchment, ink, and paint palette. “Is this a part of my lesson?” 

  
Her tutor smiled and made a small nod. “It is. Our history lessons have been a struggle for you, Lady Arwen, and I have decided to take a different approach here in hopes of helping you learn better. Today, we are going to illustrate your family tree by making paper dolls.” The tutor grabbed the top book off of the pile and opened it, skimming through the pages in search of something before setting it down to the side once she found her intended page. “We will not do all of them today, as it would take far too long and I know you wish to play outside,” Andrether said with a grin. “But we will do Finwë, Míriel, Indis, and his children Fëanor, Findis, Fingolfin, Írimë, and Finarfin. Are you ready to get started?” 

Arwen nodded vigorously, trying her best to stay still in her seat. Had she known that art would be part of the lesson today, she would have risen and dressed much more quickly than she had. “Are we starting with King Finwë, Lady Andrether?” It took all of her willpower not to reach for the parchment and quill, choosing instead to stare at her tutor with what she hoped was an adorable expression. 

“Yes, we will start with King Finwë and move onto his wives after he is finished,” Andrether replied, taking the first piece of parchment and setting it before Arwen before picking up the scissors and moving them closer to herself. Andrether gently grabbed the open book and slid it across the table in front of the young elleth, the page turned to an artistic rendition of the first High King of the Noldor. “I want you to take inspiration from this portrait and draw the king. After you are finished, I will cut him out and we will use the dolls we make for practice. How does that sound, Lady Arwen?” 

Arwen picked up the quill and carefully dipped it in the inkpot before making her first mark on the parchment, drawing what would become the face of King Finwë before looking up at her tutor with a wide grin. “I think history just became much more interesting, Lady Andrether.” 

***

Several hours and most of a pot of ink later, the paintings of King Finwe, his two wives, and his children were finished and laying before Arwen in two neat rows. Smudges of ink stained her hands and paint was splattered on her forearms, though the young elleth did not notice. Lady Andrether stood over the elleth’s shoulder and examined the paintings, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 

“A job well done, Lady Arwen. We are finished with your lessons for today. If you wish, you may go outside and play now. I will accompany you,” Andrether said with a smile. “The paintings will need some time to dry before I can cut them out.” 

The sun was still shining and Arwen could see the grass rippling in the soft breeze outside, inviting her to go and play to her heart’s content. Any other day, she would have run outside as fast as she could to roll around in the soft grass that covered the hills and watch the clouds with Andrether. She turned to her tutor. The elleth tilted her head, waiting for a response from her young student. 

“Lady Andrether,” Arwen said, her voice trailing into nothing. She sighed in frustration before taking a deep breath. “Lady Andrether, I would prefer to stay inside today, if that is alright with you. Instead of playing outside, I would like to paint a few more dolls. Not dolls of my family tree, dolls of my own choice. I know that the tree is important and I will get the work done but-” 

“Lady Arwen.” A gentle voice cut her off and she sat back down in her seat before scooting away from the table, training her eyes on the parchment. “You are completely welcome to make any dolls you like. We are done with lessons for today and dinner is still several hours away. Did you have anyone in particular in mind for your dolls, or are you making a new character altogether?” 

Blonde hair and a quiet laugh flashed in her mind as she picked up a new piece of parchment. “I have two elves I wish to make, Lady Andrether. Two of my favorite elves in the world besides my family!” She paused, looking at her tutor. “Besides you of course.” 

The elleth laughed in response to her answer and took her seat once more. “Who are these two elves, Lady Arwen?” 

“The best elves ever, of course!” Arwen exclaimed, brandishing her quill with a dramatic flourish. “Counsellor Erestor and Captain Glorfindel. I hope they don’t mind me making dolls of them.” 

“I am sure they will be honored, Lady Arwen. What do you have in mind for them?” Andrether asked, her hand reaching for one of the smaller books in the stack on the table. 

Hmm, what did she have in mind for them? She wanted it to be perfect, to be an exact representation of the two elves. “It needs to be simple, yet elegant, Lady Andrether. Glorfindel obviously can’t be without his sword, but I don’t want Erestor to be without something. That’s unfair. But what should I give him? What does Erestor like or use a lot? I don’t want to do a quill. That’s too hard,” Arwen said. Her mind was racing with possibilities, though the ideas were either too complicated to draw in miniature or they did not fit with her vision of the counselor.

“You may be overthinking this, Lady Arwen.” Her tutor’s amused voice cut through her inner ramblings. The young elleth whirled around in her seat and faced Andrether, a confused look on her face. 

“How so? I am striving for perfection, Lady Andrether. Is that not what I am supposed to do?” Arwen asked, a feeling of triumph rising in her chest when her tutor quirked an eyebrow and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. 

“Perfection is unattainable, but it shall always be a good goal to strive for. My point is, why not give Counsellor Erestor a book? It is simple, yes, but books are one of the elf’s passions and they fit well with him,” Andrether calmly replied. “Though I know that he will love any item that you choose. Both of them will be honored that you think so highly of them, Lady Arwen.” She paused for a moment, a thoughtful look flitting across her fair face. “You will always be able to add more items as well. There is no pressure for you to choose the perfect item for either of them now.” 

“That is true, but I would like for it to be perfect immediately,” Arwen responded in turn. “I think I’ll start with Glorfindel so I have more time to think about Erestor’s doll.” 

Andrether nodded, opening the book she had taken from the stack before beginning to read. “That sounds perfect, Lady Arwen.” 

Taking this as a sign of approval from her tutor, Arwen gingerly dipped her quill into the inkpot and let it rest for a second as she adjusted the parchment. She carefully outlined Glorfindel’s broad jaw before moving to the rest of his face, jumping to his neck and slowly drawing his muscular silhouette, paying close attention to his joints and hands. They were the hardest parts of the body for her. The precision required to draw the fine lines that comprised hands and fingers took most of her concentration and skill, making the task of drawing the pose of the hands even more difficult and time-consuming. Thankfully, the legs and feet were quick work, a welcome change from the captain’s hands, and the joints of his arms. 

She scooted back in her seat and exhaled deeply through her nose. Her fingers made soft popping sounds as she flexed her right hand, the noise cutting through the amiable silence of the room. Her spine creaked when she stood and stretched—her father was right, she did need to improve her posture unless she wished to suffer from back pain every occasion that circumstances required her to sit for an extended period of time. That was unimportant at the moment, though. 

Arwen focused her information on Glorfindel’s head, her quill hovering above the crown before making its first mark and steadily growing more confident with every progressive stroke. Many were envious of Glorfindel’s golden tresses that shone in the sun and seemed to hold the light of the two trees of Aman within their strands, but Arwen had heard the captain mutter under his breath about the knots that formed in his hair every time he rode on Asfaloth, sparred, or did any sort of activity that required some exertion. Her wavy hair became more and more appealing with every irritated muttering the captain made. 

The hair slowly took shape and she could see long curly hair cascading down Glorfindel’s head to his shoulders, disappearing behind them. All that remained was the face. 

His eyes came first and Arwen could feel her eyebrows furrowing as her hand shook slightly on the final lines of the right eye. Glorfindel’s eyebrows were much easier, being fairly thick in real life, only requiring a single stroke of her quill to bring them to life on the parchment. The nose came next followed by the lips, and Arwen could not contain the small squeak of excitement that had been building inside her at the sight of the captain’s finished face and body. 

“Lady Andrether! Lady Andrether! Look!” Arwen exclaimed, cautiously sliding the parchment across the table, her eyes watching out for any creases that could form. “Now he gets his clothing and weapons. Armor for special occasions in addition to his everyday semi-formal attire. I may do a formal set of clothing for him later on, but for now, this will do.” 

The tutor picked up the paper and scanned the drawing, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled in pride at her young student’s drawing. “This is excellent, Lady Arwen. Let me put it on the desk to dry,” she said, gracefully rising from her seat and depositing the piece of parchment on the oak desk sitting against one of the walls. Arwen watched her for a moment to ensure the safety of her work before pulling another piece of parchment off the stack and dipping her quill in the inkpot once more, ideas already forming in her mind. 

Clothes were much easier for her to draw than the bodies that they were to be put on, the outline only taking a couple of moments and the detailing on them requiring extra attention, though the time she spent on them was nothing compared to how long it took her to draw Glorfindel’s body and add details. The semi-formal robes were set aside as carefully as the first drawing was, the parchment intended for the captain’s armor quickly taking its place in front of her. Arwen had seen the armor of the Imladrim many times, and the sloping panels that comprised the suit provided a slight challenge at first, though the movements required for her to construct the pieces became more natural with each line. She had previously left a gap in the suit for a shield which she then filled in before decorating the item with lines reminiscent of those she remembered seeing before on the captain’s shield. Now for weapons…

An open book was laid down before her, multiple illustrations of a variety of weapons covering the pages visible. When she looked up, Lady Andrether was looking down at her with a warm smile before vanishing with the parchment that held the armor that the young elleth had just drawn. A longbow was the first weapon she put down on the paper, followed by the captain’s signature longsword, an old weapon that many elves suggested he replace, only for Glorfindel to refuse and hold his weapon even tighter to his body as if he expected them to try and take it from him. For variety, Arwen also illustrated a double-edged staff and a mace that sat on the paper next to the banner he sometimes carried out on patrol. 

“Oh! That’s what I forgot, Lady Andrether,” Arwen said aloud, her statement was not truly addressed to the tutor. “Glorfindel will need his boots and helmet.” 

A pair of armored boots and a helmet were deftly added at the bottom of the page by the young elleth who then flopped back in her chair with a dramatic sigh, her work for her favorite captain finally finished. 

“Have you finished Captain Glorfindel, Lady Arwen? He looks wonderful. I am sure that he will love it,” Lady Andrether said while nimble fingers gently grasped the parchment and brought it over to the desk to join the other papers. Arwen nodded. “Would you like to take a break and go outside?” 

“No, not right now, Lady Andrether. I would prefer to finish Erestor and be done for the night rather than take a break and return to my work,” Arwen replied, already reaching for another piece of parchment. 

Starting with Erestor’s head, Arwen worked her way down, illustrating the elf’s silhouette with her quill and ink. He was more slender than Glorfindel, though his thin fingers proved a challenge that she was not eager to take on. Nevertheless, she proceeded. The counselor’s legs and feet were quick as well and the young elleth was done with the sketch soon after, as his fine features were the first thing she tackled after finishing the outline of his face. 

After finishing, she stood up and walked to the window while Andrether kindly took her sketch and placed it on the desk in the rapidly diminishing free space. The sun had dipped behind the clouds in the sky, casting shadows on the grassy hills. She could see elves mingling in the courtyard and Arwen could have sworn that she saw a flash of golden hair disappear behind one of the pillars, though it was impossible to know for certain. She watched the bustling courtyard below for another moment before returning to her chair, smiling lightly at the sight of the refilled pot of ink and fresh paper waiting for her. 

“Thank you, Lady Andrether. Not only for the refilled pot of ink and paper but for being willing to stay in here with me while I work rather than go and enjoy the nice day,” she said to the elleth engrossed in her book. Andrether’s grey eyes flicked upwards and rested on Arwen as she slowly put down her book and turned to face her young student. 

“Of course, Lady Arwen. Not only do I enjoy having the time to read, I find that spending time with you is quite fun, even when our lessons are hard and you find yourself frustrated,” Andrether replied. “It is a pleasure to watch you work.” 

“Thank you. I aim to please,” Arwen grinned and turned back to her paper, dipping her quill in ink before starting on drawing a set of robes for Erestor. She started with a semi-formal set for him to wear for his daily duties, the design reminiscent of the forest green robes she often saw the counselor wearing in the springtime. His clothes were often more elaborate than Glorfindel’s which presented a small obstacle for her. The folds on his sash were her final addition to Erestor’s clothing before she moved her focus onto a set of formal robes for the elf. 

“Any piece of clothing is better than armor,” Arwen murmured as she finished the sleeves of Erestor’s formal attire, closing her eyes and sighing as the last line was drawn and the clothing took shape. “Now for accessories.” 

She sketched the frame of a book before adding swirling designs to its cover and spine, not bothering with a title. It was impossible for her to write one so small and the writing would be completely illegible to any elf attempting to read the title. In addition to the book, she chose to add several letters for Erestor to potentially hold in his hand, a simple stamp decorating the front. To her, it would be unfair for Glorfindel to have multiple accessories while Erestor only had one, so she also added a scroll before rising from her seat and leaving the parchment to dry on the last uncovered space of the desk. 

Upon lightly touching the ink of Glorfindel’s silhouette, Arwen found the ink to be dry and she pulled it off the desk, bringing it back to her table. Two clean jars of water sat next to the palette of paint and a small bowl. Normally, when she worked with watercolors, she would dab water on the canvas before putting down paint, but in doing that, she would run the risk of the ink smudging and ruining the drawings she had worked so hard to create. It was a conundrum that she had faced when drawing Finwë and the others in his line, though it was easily resolved by her using a different watercolor technique. Rather than brushing water on the canvas and then painting, Arwen dipped her brush in one of the jars of water before mixing it with one of the fairer skin tones on the palette.

“Here goes nothing,” she murmured as her brush made contact with the parchment, color blooming where the paint made contact with the paper. Her broad strokes quickly filled in the space between the lines on the canvas. Once the initial layer of watercolor paint was finished, she carefully painted in shadows to add depth to Glorfindel’s body and smiled in satisfaction as his form took shape. The captain’s skin was fair and burned quite badly in the sun, much to Arwen’s amusement, though that did not matter at the moment. The next step was his hair. 

Glorfindel’s hair was like nothing Arwen had ever seen before. Blonde hair was uncommon among her people and only slightly more common for the Sindar and Silvans. Even then, their blonde locks were much paler, closer to silver in color where Glorfindel’s was a rich yellow, reminiscent of the honey that her mother liked to put in her tea. Hopefully, she would be able to capture its beautiful color in the painting. 

The golden yellow complimented the captain’s skin beautifully, much to Arwen’s satisfaction. It made the tedious work of coloring in the long curls worthwhile. Adding color to Glorfindel’s eyes and lips required a smaller brush and careful precision. It took all of her willpower to prevent her hands from shaking as she carefully filled in the remaining blank areas on the captain’s face, faltering only once when she almost painted part of his cheek blue. The parchment required more careful handling than before now that the paint had been added, though it was still a simple process to transfer the parchment from the table to the desk and leave it to dry. 

“Hmm, I think I will do his clothes and armor next. What do you think, Lady Andrether?” Arwen asked, already mixing a shade of royal blue for Glorfindel’s robes. “Do you like the color?” 

Andrether rose from her seat and leaned over her shoulder, the delicate scents of lavender and pine wafting off of her. “I love the colors, Lady Arwen. Blue is perfect for Captain Glorfindel,” she answered before returning to her book. 

The clothes were easy for her to paint, as she was able to utilize broad strokes to fill the area between the lines and smaller, finer strokes to embellish the collar and sleeves. The armor received the same treatment, so did the blades that she drew along with his shield while the patterns on the shield were lined with the shade of blue that she had used for Glorfindel’s clothing. Dark brown paint covered the staff and the hilt of Glorfindel’s sword. 

“Finally!” Arwen exclaimed, shooting out of her seat and grabbing the parchment. “Lady Andrether, I believe that Captain Glorfindel is finally finished. All he has left to do is dry.” 

Andrether put down her book once more and helped Arwen grab the pieces of parchment relating to Erestor’s doll and bring them back to the table, laying them out in a triangular formation. “You are almost there, Lady Arwen. We can leave them on the desk to dry overnight once they are finished.” 

She smiled up at her tutor, warmth rising in her chest when the elleth returned the smile. 

While Glorfindel’s skin was pale with a pink hue, Erestor’s skin was more of a tawny beige color that tanned flawlessly in the warm summer months. By repeating the process she had used to fill in Glorfindel’s silhouette, the painting of the counselor’s body only took a short time. His raven hair was much easier than the captain’s golden locks, making Arwen wonder if she should have used the ink to fill in Erestor’s hair given the similarities in color between the ink and the paint. 

The challenge for Erestor was not his hair or body, but rather his eyes. They were the most vibrant green that Arwen had ever seen, reminiscent of the forests bathed in golden light that surrounded her home. There was no way for her to truly capture their beauty but she wished to try regardless. 

Arwen hummed under her breath as she carefully lined Erestor’s irises with a forest green color. It was not as close to the real thing as she wished it to be, but it would do. 

“You are still learning, Lady Arwen. It will never be perfect, but you will be constantly improving.” Andrether’s voice cut through Arwen’s musings, and she looked up to see grey eyes staring at her with an unreadable expression. This was not the first time that her tutor said exactly what she was thinking and the unsettling mind-reading abilities of her teacher were unimportant as her words were true. As long as she continued to practice, the only way she could go was up. 

For the clothing, she chose a soft lilac for the formal robes, decorating the sash and patterns with silver while the semi-formal robes were painted forest green to complement Erestor’s eyes. Arwen colored the stamp on the letters red before painting the book a navy blue, drowning out the ink that she had scribbled on the cover to constitute a title. The scroll, having already been drawn on parchment, remained untouched. 

“I believe this is it,” Arwen said aloud. “Lady Andrether! I have finished!” 

The elleth in question moved over and looked at the art, a grin on her face at the sight of Arwen’s finished project. “It looks amazing, Lady Arwen. You have truly outdone yourself,” her tutor responded as she gently took the parchment and moved it to the desk. 

As her tutor took care of her art, Arwen carefully cleaned her brushes and set them aside after closing the bottle of ink sitting next to her paint palette. She moved over to the basin in the corner of the room and slowly scrubbed her palette clean, watching in satisfaction as the colors mixed in the bowl and the wood of the palette became visible once more. Andrether set the basin outside of the room to be taken for disposal and took Arwen’s hand after closing the door behind her. The elleth looked down at her with a small smile, Arwen grinning in response. 

“For your hard work today, I believe that you are more than deserving of a custard tart before dinner. What do you say, Lady Arwen?” Andrether asked as they strolled down the long hallway leading to the courtyard below the study room. 

Arwen nodded vigorously and resisted the urge to jump at her tutor’s suggestion. “I would be forever grateful if I were allowed to have a custard tart before dinner tonight. And Lady Andrether?” 

“Yes, Lady Arwen?”

“Thank you.” 

  
  


“Naneth! I have to show you the dolls I made with Lady Andrether yesterday! To help me learn about our family line, we started making dolls of my ancestors, and then since we had enough parchment left, I was able to make dolls of Counsellor Erestor and Captain Glorfindel! You have to come and see them.” 

As soon as she was finished with the homework that had been assigned to her, Arwen ran to her mother and Andrether in the gardens, leading them to this point. 

“After I show you, I want to show Counsellor Erestor and Captain Glorfindel. Are they busy today?” Arwen shifted her weight to her other foot as she continued to stare at the patterned stones that decorated the pathway. “Do you know where they are, naneth?” 

She could hear her naneth hum along with the gentle tapping of a foot on the stones. “I would love to see your art and I am positive that both Counsellor Erestor and Captain Glorfindel would like to see it too. Your adar told me earlier that today would be quite laid-back, though I do not know where the two are at the moment,” her naneth said. Arwen stepped closer to her and wrapped her arms around her waist, sighing in happiness when her naneth returned the embrace and rested her chin on her head. 

“Lady Celebrían, I believe Counsellor Erestor and Captain Glorfindel are with Lord Elrond at the moment. If you wish, I can bring them to Arwen’s study room,” Andrether said, her smooth voice washing over Arwen like a calm wave on the beach.

Celebrían shifted slightly in her seat on the bench and Arwen could feel the minute movements of her head as she shook it from side to side. “No, that will not be necessary, Lady Andrether. Thank you for offering, but I will go myself. Can you please go with Arwen to the study room and prepare the dolls?” She carefully disentangled Arwen and stood up, smoothing out her long lilac robes before giving her daughter a gentle kiss on the crown of her head and turning back towards the main house. “Be good, Arwen. We will be there soon. I cannot wait to see what you have drawn.” 

Arwen watched her mother leave with Andrether before turning to her tutor and grasping the hand offered to her, using all of her willpower to keep from running into the main house to prepare her dolls for her favorite elves to see. They were walking through one of the winding hallways when Andrether finally broke the silence, updating Arwen on the status of her art. 

“Lady Arwen, last night I took the liberty of cutting your art out after I deemed the paint to be dry,” Andrether said as she opened the door to the study room. Arwen immediately ran to the paintings on the table, grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the dolls cut out and laid before her with their accessories on hand. She turned to her tutor and wrapped her arms around the elleth’s midsection when she came close enough, giggling when Andrether sighed in response before carding one hand through Arwen’s already disheveled hair. 

“Thank you for cutting them out, Lady Andrether. I have not been allowed to use scissors ever since I gave Elladan a much-needed haircut,” Arwen said. “Do you think they are ready for naneth, Counsellor Erestor, and Captain Glorfindel to see?” 

Andrether opened her mouth to reply to the young elleth but was cut off by a knock at the door. Her naneth’s silver head poked through the crack before the door was fully opened and she walked in, Glorfindel and Erestor trailing behind her. Arwen could see Glorfindel’s hand holding one of Erestor’s as they entered, only for the two to pull apart as they approached the young elleth and her creations on the table. 

Glorfindel kneeled in front of her, a curious look shining in his bright blue eyes that kept darting over to the dolls on the table. “Arwen, I hear that you created something that you wanted to show me and Erestor.” 

“Yesterday, Lady Andrether helped me make dolls to learn about my family line and since I had parchment and materials left over, I made dolls of you and Counsellor Erestor!” She wilted a bit at Glorfindel’s surprised look and turned away only for muscular arms to wrap around her in a soft hug.

“That is incredibly sweet of you, Arwen. Can we see them now?” Glorfindel asked as the young elleth buried her face in his shoulder.

Arwen pulled away from the captain and nodded vigorously, her cheeriness restored. “Of course!” Running over to the table, she carefully laid the dolls out with their accessories for her mother and the other three elves to see before pulling three chairs up for them. They took the cue and sat down, looking at Arwen’s art with a mixture of happiness and pleasant surprise. 

The young elleth carefully picked up Glorfindel’s doll and handed it to him before giving Erestor his own doll, silently thanking Andrether for attaching the clothes she had drawn for the both of them to their dolls after she cut them out. The captain and the counselor took the dolls from Arwen, handling them with great care as they examined them. 

“Arwen,” Erestor began. “These are incredible. You are truly becoming an artist, and I honored that you chose to make dolls of Glorfindel and myself.” He gave her a warm smile as he pulled her into a hug as well, laughing softly as Arwen threw her own arms around him and hugged him tightly. Glorfindel nodded in agreement as her naneth smiled at them. 

“Penneth, this is wonderful. Lady Andrether and I have business to discuss and will have to take our leave, but I want you to tell me more about your art tonight,” her naneth said as she kissed her daughter on the head. 

She waved at Andrether and smiled at her naneth as the two elves left the room, the door softly clicking shut behind them. After the door was closed, Arwen turned back around to face the two elves still in their chairs, a serious expression on her face that was slightly undercut by her childlike features. 

“Are you staying here?”

The two elves exchanged a look before nodding. 

The serious expression on her face vanished as Arwen smiled widely and clapped. “Perfect! That means we can play with your dolls. I would like to do your wedding first since I was unable to be there,” the young elleth gave the two older elves a look. “As you were married before I was alive.” 

Glorfindel cracked a smile while Erestor sighed and shook his head, though it was clear that he was amused by Arwen’s antics as well. 

“We would be delighted to attend the wedding, Lady Arwen,” Glorfindel declared, taking Erestor’s hand and kissing it softly, smiling as Arwen giggled at the display and his mate rolled his eyes fondly. 

“Yay! Let’s get started.” 

***

“Do you remember our wedding?” 

Glorfindel paused his work, the braid in his hand only half-finished as he let it go. His mate was facing the window in their rooms that overlooked the courtyard. The moon cast shadows over his form, the silver rays catching in his inky black hair. 

“Of course I do. It was the happiest day of my life,” the captain paused, the corners of his lips curling up in a small smile as he reminisced. “The only other day that could ever compare is the day that I met you.” 

His mate blushed lightly and Glorfindel took the opportunity to move closer and wrap his arms around the counselor’s waist. Erestor leaned back against the other’s chest and nuzzled his cheek against Glorfindel’s neck, smiling as his mate pulled him closer to his body. 

“Reenacting our wedding with Arwen reminded me of the actual day that we were wed,” Erestor whispered. He captured Glorfindel’s lips in a slow kiss, turning around in order to press himself fully against his mate and sighed in happiness as a large hand settled on his waist while another gently gripped the back of his neck. It took a great deal of effort for him to pull away from the warm embrace. 

“Fin?” 

He tore his eyes away from Erestor’s kiss-swollen lips, focusing instead on his mate’s hazel eyes, the silver light making them shine. “Yes?” 

“I love you,” Erestor whispered, burying his face in the crook of his mate’s neck once more.

Glorfindel pulled Erestor flush against him before resting his own face in the counselor’s silky black hair. 

“I love you too.” 


End file.
